Archaeo | Cairo-Egypt (Location: Egypt) | 6/10/2008 4:29:00 PM Very good criticism of Cuno's book. Based on his arguments, the Art Institute should hand over all of its objects to Native American tribes because the American government has no claim to any archaeological items.

David Dement | San Gabriel-U.S.A. (Location: United States) | 6/11/2008 8:31:00 PM I've never been able to comprehend humanity's obsession with possessing antiquities. Personally, I much prefer a good book (in which items from many museums are brought together, photographed under ideal conditions, with helpful analytical text) to any museum exhibition (competing with crowds to catch a glimpse of an object, often poorly- or over-lit, imprisoned in an acrylic box). But then, what I really want is to understand the past, not engage in "object-worship".

As far as I am concerned, the Greeks, Italians, Chinese, Egyptians and Peruvians are welcome to have their stuff back, as long as it is published and well photographed. What do we need it for? A good copy can be indistinguishable from the original, and I am no mystic.